The most common retail store in Carbon County has proposed a new location in Penn Forest Township.

Dollar General has an application before the Penn Forest Township planning commission to build a new store at the intersection of Route 534 and Old Stage Road.

It would be the retailer’s eighth location in the county, and its third in Penn Forest.

The proposed store would be located in close proximity to several planned communities: Mount Pocahontas, Valley View Estates, Indian Mountain Lake and Towamensing Trails.

Before the planning commission will recommend approval to the township supervisors, Dollar General must complete several steps including a traffic impact study.

The township requires a traffic study for all commercial developments and any residential development with more than 20 homes. The study explores any possible traffic issues created by the project, and recommends potential road improvements such as turn lanes or traffic lights.

“We need them to do a traffic impact study to make sure the queuing of the traffic isn’t going to cause any traffic backups that are going to be potentially dangerous for the public,” said Sal Caiazzo of Hanover Engineering, the township’s engineer.

On Monday the supervisors approved a waiver Monday night which will allow Dollar General to receive preliminary and final plan approval at the same time, if they meet all requirements set out in the township’s ordinances.

“They’re ready to go full blast through the process. It’s done quite often, not out of the ordinary,” Caiazzo said.

Dollar General’s other stores in Carbon County are in Weatherly, Towamensing, East Penn Township, Lehighton, Nesquehoning and two in Penn Forest.

There are a total of four existing Dollar General stores within 10 miles of the proposed new store, and seven within 15.

The Tennessee-based retailer has more than 16,700 stores nationwide. Only Subway and the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut can claim to have more.

Dollar General reportedly added 1,000 new stores nationwide this year, and plans to add another 1,050 in 2021.

On their website, Dollar General claims that 75 percent of Americans are currently within 5 miles of one of its stores.

Despite its name, the company says on its website that most of the products it sells are priced over $1, with about 25 percent of items at $1 or less.